Category Archives: Jacobella

Since it is the beginning of the year, I thought I would start doing the most popular names of 2008.

In the United States, Jacob is currently the most popular male name, coming in at # 1 in 2008.

Actually, Jacob has held on to the number 1 spot, for the last decade, since 1999. The lowest that Jacob has ever ranked in U.S. naming history was back in 1967 ranking in at # 353.

Jacob’s rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 21 (Australia, 2007)

# 3 (Canada, B.C., 2008)

# 20 (England/Wales, 2008)

# 94 (Ireland, 2007)

# 122 (the Netherlands, 2008)

# 89 (Norway, 2007)

# 79 (Scotland, 2008)

# 29 (Sweden, 2007)

Jacob is a Biblical name of Hebrew origin, borne by an important Jewish patriarch, the meaning of the name is somewhat debated. Though many sources agree that it is derived from the Hebrew ‎עקב (aqab; aqav), which means “to seize by the heel”, “to circumvent” or ” to restrain” and may possibly be a word-play of the Hebrew עקבה‎ (iqqebah; iqqbah) meaning, “heel,” since in the Bible, Jacob was born holding onto the heel of his twin brother Esau. In Hebrew, the act of holding the heel was associated with deception, so the name has been suggested to take on the meaning of “deception.”

Other sources have suggested it to mean “may God protect”, being a derivative of the Hebrew יַעֲקֹבְאֵל (Ya’aqov’el).

In the Bible, Jacob was the younger twin son of Rebekah and Isaac, by deceiving his elder brother Esau into selling his birthright, Jacob received his father’s blessing before Isaac’s death.

Jacob later became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.

His episode of dreaming of a ladder to heaven is called “Jacob’s Ladder” and his wrestling with the angel, after which God gave Jacob the name of Israel ,meaning, “struggles with God” or “God contended.”

The name later appears in the New Testament by several other characters, one of them being the name of the Apostle James, (also known as Jacob since both names are related).

In English, both Jacob and James are derived from the Biblical Greek, Ιακωβος (Iakobos) later being latinized to Iacomus, (from which James is an anglicized a corruption).

James and Jacob have been used in England interchangeably since the Middle Ages, James became a common name in English and Scottish royalty.

Currently, James is the 17th most popular male name in the United States, the highest he has peaked was between 1940 and 1952, coming in at # 1. The lowest he has peaked was at # 19 in 1999 and then again in 2001.

James has never detracted from the U.S. top 20.

In other countries, his rankings are as follows:

# 8 (Australia, 2007)

# 10 (Canada, B.C., 2008)

# 9 (England/Wales, 2008)

# 5 (Ireland, 2007)

# 332 (the Netherlands, 2008)

# 5 (Scotland, 2008)

The designated name-days for Jacob are December 20 (France), July 25.

Other forms of both names include:

Jakob (Afrikaans/Danish/Dutch/German/Norwegian/Slovene/Swedish: 12th most popular male name in Slovenia-2005; 39th most popular in Norway-2007 and the 3o9th most popular in the United States-2008)

Japku/Jakup/Jakub/Jakob/Jakov (Albanian)

Ya’eqob (Amharic/Ethiopian)

يعقوب Yaʿqūb/Yakub (Arabic)

Chaime (Aragonese)

Ya`iqob/Ukba/Ukva ያዕቆብ (Aramaic)

Hagop/Hakob/Jakob Հակոբ/Յակոբ (Armenian)

Aqob/Jakobos (Assyrian)

Yəqub (Azeri)

Jacobe/Jagoba/Jakes/Jakoma/Yaku/Yagoba/Xanti (Basque)

Jåggl (Bavarian)

Jakub/Jakaŭ/Jakuš (Bielorusian)

Jakub (Bosnian/Polish/Slovak/Slovene/Sorbian: common Polish diminutive forms are Kuba and Kubuś)

Jacut/Jagu/Jagut/Jak/Jakez/Jakezig/Jakou (Breton)

Yakov/Zhekov Жеков (Bulgarian)

Iacovo/Iacoviello/Coviello (Calabrian: Southern Italian dialect)

Jacob (Catalan/Dutch/English/Lexumburgish/Limburgish/Portuguese)

Jaume/Jaumet (Catalan)

Jacca/Jago/Jamma/Jammes (Cornish)

Giacumu (Corsican)

Jakov/Jako Јаков (Croatian/Serbian/Slovene)

Jákob (Czech/Hungarian: Kuba and Kubík are the diminutive forms)

Jacobus/Jakobus (Dutch/Limburgish: Jacobus is currently the 233rd most popular male name in the Netherlands-2008)

Coos/Kobe/Kobus/Jaap (Dutch: initially diminutive forms, used as independent given names)

Coby (English: originally a diminutive form, now used as an independent given name. He currently ranks in as the 832nd most popular male name-2008)

Seamus/Séamus (Irish-Gaelic: SHAY-mus: Séimí and Séimín are diminutive forms. Currently the 748th most popular male name in the United States)

Giacobbe (Italian)

Giacomo (Italian: more common form)

Jacopo (Italian: archaic form)

Aqo/Ya’qub (Kurd)

Iacobus/Iacomus/Jacobus (Latin)

Jēkabs (Latvian)

Jaokob (Limburgish)

Cobus/Keub/Keube/Kuub/Kuèb (Limburgish: initially diminutive forms, now used as independent given names)

Zjaak/Jaco (Limburgish: initially diminutive forms, now used as independent given names)

Jokūbas (Lithuanian)

Jakov/Jakle/Jako (Macedonian)

Chacko/Yakob (Malayalam)

Ġakbu (Maltese)

Jayms (Manx)

Hemi (Maori)

Sak (Mohawk)

Jacuvo/Jacuviello/Cuviello (Neopolitan: Southern Italian dialect)

Gemme/Gemmes/Jacque (Norman)

Jacme (Occitanian/Provençal)

Jammes/Jaume (Occitanian)

Iakovu Іакѡвъ (Old Church Slavonic)

Yaghoub (Persian)

Giaco (Piedmontese: Northern Italian dialect)

Diogo (Portuguese: variation of Tiago)

Iago (Portuguese)

Jacó (Portuguese)

Jácomo (Portuguese)

Jaime (Portuguese/Spanish: Jaime is currently the 321st most popular male name in the United States-2008. He is the 97th most popular in Chile-2006 and the 33rd most popular in Spain-2006)

Thiago (Portuguese-Brazilian)

Tiago (Portuguese-European: a contraction of the Spanish Santiago, which literally means “Saint James”)

Köbes (Ripoarisch)

Iacob (Romanian)

Jacomo (Romanesque: a Northern Italian dialect spoken in the region of Tuscany)

Giachem/Giachen/Jachen (Romansch)

Giacumin (Romansch)

Yakov Иаков/Яков (Russian: Yasha is a diminutive form)

Iakopo (Samoan)

Hamish (Scottish-Gaelic: an anglicization of Seumas)

Jaikie (Scottish-Gaelic)

Jamie (Scottish: low lands Scots contraction, currently the 669th most popular male name in the United States; the 17th most popular male name in Scotland-2008; the 51st most popular in England and Wales-2008; 17th most popular in Ireland-2007; the 12st most popular in the Netherlands and the 96th most popular in Australia)

Seumas (Scottish-Gaelic)

Simidh (Scottish-Gaelic)

Jaka (Slovene: this was the 10th most popular male name in Slovenia-2005)

Diego (Spanish: a contraction of Santiago. Diego currently ranks in as the 68th most popular male name in the United States-2008. In Belgium he is the 48th-2006; in Chile, the 7th-2006; in France the 78-2006. In the Netherlands he comes in as the 189th most popular male name-2008 and in Spain he is the 10th most popular male name-2006 )

Santiago (Spanish: literally meaning “Saint James” the name is usually bestowed in honour of St. James the Apostle. Currently, it is the 171st most popular male name in the United States. In Chile, he is the 55th most popular-2006 and in Spain, the 66th most popular-2006)

Yago (Spanish: archaic form)

Yakubu (Swahili)

Köbi (Swiss-German dialectical diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent given name)